[aniketi]

I am riding my Pulsar 180 for more than 2 years now. Before that i was very happy with my Bajaj Caliber. I have driven both bikes more than 1 Lakh kilometers in past 10 + years. I always enjoy riding bikes. I have done multiple trips out of station also like Konkan belt, Mahabaleshwar, etc. I am never worried about my bike as i maintain it well & i am almost dead sure that i will not have any problem with my bike. Only worry always come to my mind is tires. If it gets puncture then its really a pain in wrong place. You have to pull it hard, find some Anna (Puncturewala) to get it repaired. Thankfully i never in such trouble when i am out of Pune.

But sadly though i faced this problem in the city for multiple times. Bike is punctured & Anna is nowhere near. Specially 2-3 times this happened in night. I have to pull hard my bike to find one or ride the bike in puncture state which is very risky. But i have done this 2-3 times as no other option was there. I have to replace tube after that. Anna always cheat you in such situation with local tubes & takes extra money (almost double)

So my concern is about tires. Is tubeless tires worth for Bikes? Till now i don't heard of it much. Heard that only premium bikes has it. Its trouble free riding with that. Dont have to worry about punctures.
Still I have following few questions in my mind:

1 Are tubeless tires in bikes reliable?
2 Can i ride 20-30 kms after bike is punctured? (Don't know if i get to know it or not)
3 How do i know if anything is wrong with my tire? Like any screw, kila has gone inside my tire. Do i need to frequently check it?
4 How much a new tire cost? Which is best available brand in the market? (MRF ??)
5 How much it cost to rectify puncture? Does local Anna capable of doing it correctly? (generally we have to depend on him only)

I am thinking of changing both tires to tubeless to have trouble free riding. Please suggest

[hemanthisgreat]

I guess, If you intend to change your bike's tires to tubeless, you will have to change the wheels to alloy wheels as the normal rim type will leak out air.

[Jaguar]

I can understand what you say. Everytime I had a puncture, the local repair guys insist on replacing the tube :-(
I suggest you ask your question in the tyres section. IMO there is no difference between tubeless tires of cars and bikes. Just carry the repair kit with you and any of these puncture wallas will be able to repair it.
And as hemant pointed, you'd need to change the wheels to alloys.

[shishir_bn]

Find my answers in bold

Originally Posted by aniketi

1 Are tubeless tires in bikes reliable?
Yes they are reliable.
2 Can i ride 20-30 kms after bike is punctured? (Don't know if i get to know it or not)
Wehn there is a pin/screw/nail etc in the tire the air will not come out. You can ride the bike.
3 How do i know if anything is wrong with my tire? Like any screw, kila has gone inside my tire. Do i need to frequently check it?
Once in a while or once in 3-4 days juct rotate the tire and see it.
4 How much a new tire cost? Which is best available brand in the market? (MRF ??)
IMO it costs around 1500(for tire)
5 How much it cost to rectify puncture? Does local Anna capable of doing it correctly? (generally we have to depend on him only)
Yes, he can do it but the cost is almost 80-100/-. So it is always better to have one punchure repair set and it is very easy. You can fix it on your own. May be first time it will be difficult. But expereince makes man perfect.
I am thinking of changing both tires to tubeless to have trouble free riding. Please suggest
So to change the tyre from regular to tubeless, you need to change the rim also. It has to be an alloy wheel rather than spokes wheel IMO. But if the sides of the tubelss tire gets danmaged then you need to change the whole set.

[praful]

Originally Posted by aniketi

Still I have following few questions in my mind:

1 Are tubeless tires in bikes reliable?
2 Can i ride 20-30 kms after bike is punctured? (Don't know if i get to know it or not)
3 How do i know if anything is wrong with my tire? Like any screw, kila has gone inside my tire. Do i need to frequently check it?
4 How much a new tire cost? Which is best available brand in the market? (MRF ??)
5 How much it cost to rectify puncture? Does local Anna capable of doing it correctly? (generally we have to depend on him only)

I am assuming your Pulsar has alloy wheels. Find my answers to your questions below :-
1.Yes, they are very much reliable. Done 50K on my 220 without issues
2.Depending on the size of the puncture you can ride as much as possible, I have even done 1500kms on a nail without any issues.
3. You will feel air pressure reducing gradually over a period of time, and its a good idea to check it once a week or so.
4. There are many brands available, you can go for MRF they are pretty decent.
5. You get puncture repair kits for as low as 100 bux and you fix puncture yourself, local guys take anywhere from 50-150 to fix the puncture.

The only issue with tubeless tyres is if your alloy gets bent while going over a pothole, then in most cases the tyre cannot hold air and it goes flat. Another issue is if a very sharp stone is there it can tear the tyre then you will again loose air and not be able to ride. These can be fixed by putting in a tube for the time being though!

[aniketi]

Thanks Shishir, Praful, Hemant for your answers. Yes, my Pulsar is having alloy wheels only. I dont think they are damaged, lets keep fingers crossed. With your advice, I am confident now to go for Tubeless tires. I guess i should go for MRF only. Its the best brand as far as Indian bikes are concerned i guess.

After getting those tubeless i guess i will be able to ride more freely

[(Alok)]

Originally Posted by praful

5. You get puncture repair kits for as low as 100 bux and you fix puncture yourself, local guys take anywhere from 50-150 to fix the puncture.

This is the biggest benfit of tubeless tyre in both cars & bikes. Just carry a footpump and puncture repaire kit on long journeys and feel free.

Originally Posted by praful

The only issue with tubeless tyres is if your alloy gets bent while going over a pothole, then in most cases the tyre cannot hold air and it goes flat. Another issue is if a very sharp stone is there it can tear the tyre then you will again loose air and not be able to ride. These can be fixed by putting in a tube for the time being though!

Have you ever faced the problem in your 220?

[hemanthisgreat]

Repairing of a tubeless tire is very easy and can be done on your own. You do not need to pay the puncture guy every time there is a puncture. Just buy a tubeless repair kit from sarv and just do it yourself. After repairing the puncture, you can fill the air at a nearby puncture shop. Just follow this thread for advice http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...-puncture.html

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by aniketi

1 Are tubeless tires in bikes reliable?
2 Can i ride 20-30 kms after bike is punctured? (Don't know if i get to know it or not)
3 How do i know if anything is wrong with my tire? Like any screw, kila has gone inside my tire. Do i need to frequently check it?
4 How much a new tire cost? Which is best available brand in the market? (MRF ??)
5 How much it cost to rectify puncture? Does local Anna capable of doing it correctly? (generally we have to depend on him only)

1. Yes Very Reliable,i am riding on tubeless tyres since 60K kms

2. Yes you can,i have ridden almost 100kms on a punctured tyre without any issues

3.Tyre will lose air,but slowly.

4.Around 1800-2500 Duro And Michelin are the best.

5.Costs around 40 bucks and any roadside puncture guy can repair it.

[vabs78]

Originally Posted by aniketi

2 Can i ride 20-30 kms after bike is punctured? (Don't know if i get to know it or not)

If you get a nail, air will not leak, even if it does it will leak slowly. You can ride the bike in such state. But, once the tire is flat, you can't ride it, it will damage the tire.

[aniketi]

Thanks guys for all your replies. I guess i must go for Tubeless immediately now

Nice to know that i can go good distance with the nail in it. Now i can ride hassle free with my bike. Will update you guys once i get my tubeless tyres. Will try to find Duro or Michelin.